CRTA: Most of Serbs Rated Poorly the Functioning of Democracy

The Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability in Media Center of Belgrade (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

A majority of Serbian citizens have rated poorly the functioning of democracy in Serbia, and a mere 25 percent were satisfied, whereas 21 percent of the interviewed rated positively the work of the Parliament of Serbia, the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) observers said in the survey “Views by Serbian Citizens on Participation in Democratic Processes 2022”, which the organization’s observation mission presented on Feb. 27.

The civil society organization found that 52 percent of Serbian citizens believed that democracy, despite its flaws, was the best system of government for Serbia, and a mere 31 percent felt changes were possible in the country.

According to the survey, 53 percent of citizens perceived politics as an arena which should involve all citizens, but a mere 15 percent believed they were capable of taking part in it.

The CRTA survey showed that 20 percent of citizens participated in an action designed to address a problem in their local community, most frequently a communal or environmental challenge.

Forty-three percent of the respondents were of the opinion that civil society organizations, i.e. non-governmental organizations, protected the public interest and fought for changes in society.